Moneybags Blair claimed £1m in British taxpayers’ money over last decade

[Rjk]

Meh.
It's part of the job description.

US presidents get a generous salary for life after they finish and they don't make a fuss about that.

[severncity]

Meh.
It's part of the job description.

US presidents get a generous salary for life after they finish and they don't make a fuss about that.

Meh. What has the deal for ex-US Presidents - who were the head of state - got to do with this previously secret arrangement? “Mehthinks” that you want to disagree with OM just for the sake of doing so.

Childish behaviour in my opinion.

[cyril evans awaydays]

Meh. What has the deal for ex-US Presidents - who were the head of state - got to do with this previously secret arrangement? “Mehthinks” that you want to disagree with OM just for the sake of doing so.

Childish behaviour in my opinion.

If it was previously secret how come anyone has been able to access the details on Gov.UK for over a year?

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...ce.csv/preview

[severncity]

If it was previously secret how come anyone has been able to access the details on Gov.UK for over a year?

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...ce.csv/preview

Like I wrote in my previous post it was previously secret. Every single media outlet has reported this as being “previously confidential”.

Here are some examples:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a8616731.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ng-office.html

https://www.rt.com/uk/443210-blair-claims-public-money/

Are you saying that you knew about these payments prior to last weekend’s revelations? If so, bravo. But the question remains: why didn’t you get yourself a big fat wad of cash for your scoop?

[cyril evans awaydays]

Like I wrote in my previous post it was previously secret. Every single media outlet has reported this as being “previously confidential”.

Here are some examples:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a8616731.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ng-office.html

https://www.rt.com/uk/443210-blair-claims-public-money/

Are you saying that you knew about these payments prior to last weekend’s revelations? If so, bravo. But the question remains: why didn’t you get yourself a big fat wad of cash for your scoop?

And here is one from 2011.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics...expenses-claim

The overall amounts claimed have not been secret, rather their itemisation. The news reports make it sound like the former.

[severncity]

And here is one from 2011.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics...expenses-claim

The overall amounts claimed have not been secret, rather their itemisation. The news reports make it sound like the former.

Kudos to you for knowing this before 99.999999% of people. Do you think that the payments are a good thing or, as the OP suggested, a bad thing? Sorry to sidetrack you from your own sidetrack but...

[cyril evans awaydays]

Kudos to you for knowing this before 99.999999% of people. Do you think that the payments are a good thing or, as the OP suggested, a bad thing? Sorry to sidetrack you from your own sidetrack but...

No need to apologise though I think it was you that first focused on the secretive nature of the payments in your comments. Googling something that clearly shows the figures on the government's official website from 14 months ago hardly qualifies me as a mystic, more someone a little sceptical of Russia Today's journalism and motives.

To answer your question I think it is right that former Prime Ministers have the opportunity to continue to represent the country and legitimate expenses are covered. Presumably the Freedom of Information request identifies the itemised expenditure. I have seen no scathing comment about what was claimed as being illigitimate but happy to be corrected on that score.

The original point was rather crassly presented with its Bilderberger, anti-EU tone. The four in question are the UK's surviving Prime Ministers. Whether they supported EU membership or not seems irrelevant to me on whether the UK government should pay them expenses and the fact that the euro-sceptical Thatcher received over £0.5m further dilutes the argument but I guess it plays into a narrative.

I don't understand why Nick Clegg is a beneficiary. We have had a number of Deputy Prime Ministers and Cameron singling him out seems a bit of a bung.